CU-1c-1972-05 Rim Cud

Description

Cataloged as CU-1c-1972-05 by the Cuds on Coins attribution team, this rim cud variety on the 1972 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent is the fifth numbered entry in the sequence (the fourth entry, CU-1c-1972-04, is documented separately). No cross-references or specific attribution date information have been published for this variety. A rim cud forms when a section of the die's outer edge fractures and separates completely from the die body — a terminal failure event that creates a void in the working surface of the die. When the damaged die continues to strike planchets, metal flows into the void under the tremendous pressure of the coining press (typically 35–40 tons for cent production), producing a raised, flat or slightly convex mass at the rim of each coin struck after the break. The size and position of the cud depend entirely on where the die edge failed and how much material separated: some cuds are small crescents barely protruding beyond the normal rim line, while others cover substantial portions of the coin's periphery and obscure multiple design elements. CU-1c-1972-05 adds to the documented census of die edge failures from the 1972 Philadelphia production run and represents the physical evidence of one specific die's retirement-triggering event — a moment captured in metal and preserved for numismatic study decades later.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Chuck Newman
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References